Past is Present

Chapter 12

The Moochick's Tale Begins

"Alright my ponies, gather round, gather round and look into the pot." the Moochick waved them to a large boiling pot at the center of the room. "Now tell me what you see?" Various objects floated and sunk in the bubbling surface.

"Ummm... carrots?" Rainbow Dash answered, dubiously.

"Yes, carrots, precisely! Wait! No! Wrong pot!"

"Mmmm smells yummy!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed, her pink nose sniffing the vegetable perfumed air. The Moochick pushed them, including a struggling Pinkie Pie who seemed determined to get a bowl of the stew for herself, into the next room where a larger black pot burbled with a strangely colored liquid.

"Sorry, that was my lunch." he confessed sheepishly. "Here now, Reeka, show them." The fat black rat hopped onto the stool and, grabbing a spoon, began stirring the pot. She stopped,

"There now, tell me what you see." the Moochick repeated. Twilight Sparkle squinted her eyes as the cloudy liquid began to clear showing a strangely familiar shape,

"Why, why it's Equestria! But it looks different somehow." she tilted her an an attempt to discern what it was about it that seemed so out of place.

"It's Equestria alright but where's Manehatten?!" Rarity cried out; the first to notice the alteration. "Or Baltimare, or Vanhoover?"

"Where's Cloudsdale?!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. Now Twilight Sparkle saw it, she scanned the entire map just to confirm,

"Where is everypony?" she uttered.

"This was Ponyland, Equestria as you now know it, it was a dark place of sorcerers and evil magic." Images of ponies cowering before warlocks and witches flashed before their eyes in the brew. Some of these were animals but a few appeared... almost human! A trio of human witches, two of them seeming quite young, harassing a pony with magical bolts appeared,

"Reeka! Vanity!" the rat's grin fell, her plump cheeks glowed a faint pink as she grumbled some unintelligible curse. "the ponies were at the mercy of the sinister Tirak and his darkness until Megan came and released the power of the rainbow of light, banishing Tirak and his evil influence from the land." The ponies watched as a young blond girl released a rainbow that was devoured, then devoured the darkness the beast they knew as Tirak released from his bag, defeating him and banishing him from the land. "Megan broke the curse on the land and ushered in a new era of hope for the ponies. The curse upon the stallions which forced them to forever race across Ponyland only to return one day a year was broken and families began to emerge." a scene of a pony family with twins capering about the meadow appeared. "Foals were born and given new names for there were more than enough to carry on the ancient names from one generation to the next. An alliance was made with the Flutterponies," the scene from Twilight Sparkle's book came to life in front of them with the blond girl speaking with the butterfly-winged ponies. "and the witches and wizards who still practiced the ways of darkness were defeated. But the darkness still lived on in the hearts of some..." The image seemed to settle on the face of the pale pink maned yellow flutterpony,

"Where are you off to today, Morning Glory?" she asked, a light blue flutterpony with a gold mane stopped midflight, as though caught about something she had hoped not to be noticed in. She turned, smiling the broad, nervous smile of one who intends to disguise a falsehood as truth but has utterly no skill in the practice.

"Only to the Eastern meadow to check on the lilies, Queen Rosedust."

"I believe East is in the other direction. You were going South" Queen Rosedust corrected.

"Umm yes, of course." Morning Glory replied sheepishly rubbing her mane with her forehoof. "I guess I got a little confused." The Queen smiled on her flustered subject,

"Then go, I expect a full report when you return." the blue flutterpony let out a sigh of relief and began to fly off toward the East. "Oh! And Morning Glory," Queen Rosedust added, the blue pony instantly froze. "Do try to avoid any wells." Morning Glory nodded her pink cheeked face.

"You know she's not going to the Eastern meadow." a suspicious sounding pink flutterpony accused.

"Yes, I imagine she intends to visit the ponies at Paradise Estates. But at least now she shall look in on the lilies before she goes."

"I don't like it, it's too dangerous. She could be captured."

"I know, Honeysuckle; but if I try to keep her in Flutter Valley she will only be more anxious to leave it. At least this way we know where she is going."

"Should I follow her?"

"Not this time, I need you to attend to the honey harvest. Queen Bumble and her subjects have been quite busy this year."

"Ah, so that is why you let Morning Glory go."

"Yes, while I know she would be glad to see Sting again I really cannot allow them to grow too close. It affects her ability to do her work." the pink flutterpony nodded, knowingly.

"I spent far too long in the Eastern meadow." Morning Glory grumbled as she flew over the still snowy mountains of the North. "Now I'm going to be late for the winter wrap-up party." An icy gust of wind blew her backwards, she tumbled head over hooves twice before she was able to regain her balance. "Oh, I don't like the look of that storm." she said, peering out from under her hoof at the dark grey clouds ahead. "I'd better get a move on if I want to have any chance of beating it."

It was too late before Morning Glory realized she had underestimated the speed of the storm. She found herself being tossed this way and that, buffeted by the snowy gales that refused to release her from their cruel play. "Woah-oh!" she cried as she tumbled, unable to right herself. "I'd better land before my wings freeze! But I can't even tell where the ground is in all this snow!" From somewhere beyond her she heard faintly what sounded like... music! "Or is it just the wind playing tricks on my ears?" she wondered aloud. She pricked her ears up to listen through the howling winds - No! It was definitely music - and the most beautiful music she had ever heard! Facing the direction from where the music seemed to be emanating, she fought against the force of the wind until finally, furious with her defiance, it deposited her in a snowbank. "Oh, my head." she moaned, rubbing her head with her hoof. The snow seemed much less terrible from here, soft flurries fell upon her nose and eyelashes. Pulling herself up she fluttered her wings to clear them of snow. She looked around at the vast expanse of snow drifts broken only by craggy grey rocks. "Where am I?" she wondered aloud. "Everything looks so different from the ground." she looked up into the grey sky, the howl of the wind made her shutter. "Well, I suppose I had better start walking. With any luck the storm will pass soon and I can get back home." But the storm refused to cease its fury. As Morning Glory walked on for what seemed near an hour her wings began to frost over with ice. "I hope I find someplace warm soon." she shivered. "Wait!" she cried, stopping short to listen. "There's that music again! But where is it coming from?" Her hope renewed, she ran towards the music. "Wait a moment! That's not music! That's singing!" Sure enough, as she closed in on the sound she could hear words emerging.

"Travel on dear moon, travel on through the night. Traverse the dark sky; its stars shining bright. For there is no rest for you till the sun shines its light; only for those who sleep safe in your sight. Away now dear moon-"

"Excuse me!" Morning Glory called out, still unable to see the maker of the music. "Excuse me- oh!" she cried sliding down the snow-coated edge of a stone landing at the feet of a large white unicorn stallion, his jet black mane waving in the wind, but it was his lilac eyes that sparkled even in the moonlight which most arrested her attention. He was, without question, the most handsome stallion she had ever seen. She stumbled to find her voice.

"Are you alright?" the stallion asked, helping her to her feet.

"I-I think so." she stuttered. "Was that you singing?" He smiled shyly,

"I didn't think anyone was around to hear that."

"It was lovely! If I could sing as well as you I don't think I would ever stop!" he seemed slightly embarrassed.

"Thank you." he answered. "My name is Night Moon."

"Mine's Morning Glory."